


Pet The Kitty

by robot870



Series: Red Fursus Blue [3]
Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Touch-Starved, furry au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-15
Updated: 2020-01-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:47:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22263601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robot870/pseuds/robot870
Summary: It felt weird to be talked about like a stray animal, but he wouldn't lie and say he didn't feel like one. Tossed between homes, people who promised him a way out of the hell his life became, over and over. He couldn't help but start to feel a little feral after a while....He also hadn't been shown affection in a long, long time, and Caboose's suggestion of petting was not nearly as repulsive to him as he felt that it should have been. He quickly put the thought out of his mind.
Relationships: Michael J. Caboose & Agent Washington
Series: Red Fursus Blue [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1568653
Kudos: 29





	Pet The Kitty

"Can we keep him."

That was what Caboose had said. When Tucker said that at first as an offhand comment, Wash hadn't believed him. But not much later, when he was around a corner and not even out of earshot, he heard Caboose say it himself.

"Please, Tucker, can we keep him? He is kind of like Church, but also different, because he is much more scary, but I think he can be nice! He is like Church and Texas mixed together, kind of, but also he is a kitty, and I bet he is so soft. Church's ears were soft. I want to pet Agent Washington. Do you think he purrs?"  
"Dude, I hope he can't hear you saying this. I can't think of a guy who would like to be pet less. I don't think he even takes off his helmet except to eat, and even then I swear I've seen him eat with it on."

Wash ducked away before he could overhear any more. It felt weird to be talked about like a stray animal, but he wouldn't lie and say he didn't feel like one. Tossed between homes, people who promised him a way out of the hell his life became, over and over. He couldn't help but start to feel a little feral after a while.

...He also hadn't been shown affection in a long, long time, and Caboose's suggestion of petting was not nearly as repulsive to him as he felt that it should have been. He quickly put the thought out of his mind.

Wash had been keeping to himself as much as possible. Tucker and Caboose weren't always together, but they weren't often very far apart, so he felt like an anomaly in Blue Base. Not like he didn't already.

The only time he really got close to the other two was at mealtimes. MREs were surprisingly uncommon among the sim-troopers - Command had been sending them actual ingredients, probably because the teams had nothing else to do except guard their bases, both of which came with surprisingly well-outfitted kitchens. Though none of Blue Team was a particularly good cook, Church was dismal and Caboose was a mess, so the meal prep usually defaulted to Tucker. This was unfortunate for Wash, as when Tucker wasn't doing something that had very simple steps, Caboose was free to wreak havoc upon the rest of the base.

"Agent Washington! Are you ready for dinner! We are going to have SPAGHETTI!"  
Wash flattened his ears as Caboose came barreling into the side room he had been given as a bedroom of sorts. He was laying facedown on the cot that had been wheeled in there, still crumpled and bent in the middle from being folded up in a closet for forever. Caboose plopped down on the end of the bed, almost causing the bed to snap back into a folded position.  
"...Hi, Caboose. Why are you on my bed?"  
"Well, I wanted to say hello to you, and came in here, and you looked really sad, so I thought you might need a friend."  
"I'm fine, Caboose. Just a headache. I'll come out for dinner when it's ready. Why don't you go help Tucker?"  
"Tucker said that I am not allowed to have knives, or boiling water, and the tomatoes Command sends us are already mashed up, so I do not have anything to do. So Tucker said to go find you!"  
"Tucker said that, huh."  
"Yes! And it is easy to find you, because you are usually in here, in the room we made for you. It is really dark in here. Did the lightbulb go out? That happens to me sometimes. But I am tall enough to fix it. Do you want me to fix the lightbulb, Agent Washington?"  
Wash softened a little, even though he was already pretty soft towards Caboose. The big guy was only trying to help, even if he could be a little overbearing.  
"No, Caboose. The light is fine, but thank you. I just like it dark."  
"Is that because your head hurts?"  
"Kind of. It's not the only reason, but the dark helps."  
Caboose seemed satisfied with the explanation, but still didn't seem to want to leave. He lingered on Wash's bed, his thin tail swishing and the tuft on the end tickling Wash's leg. Part of Wash wanted the big bull to leave him alone so he could go back to trying and failing to sleep, but another part wanted to save Tucker from the chaos that was a bored Caboose, and yet another part just enjoyed the company, for some unfathomable reason (he could actually think of a lot of reasons, none of which he wanted to dwell on in the moment).

They sat in silence for a few precious moments, but Caboose could never go very long without blurting out whatever was on his mind.  
"Agent Washington can I pet you."  
"What?"  
"Can I pet your head please because it looks very soft and I am asking because last time someone touched you without asking you took out a knife and held it very close to their face."  
Wash stared blankly, trying to process not only what Caboose had asked but the fact that he had asked at all. It was true, he had pulled a knife on Tucker when he gave him a friendly slap on the back, but he hadn't even realized Caboose was paying attention to the cause of the knife and not just chalking it up to "crazy freelancer behavior" like everyone else did with everything else he did.  
"...You know what? Sure. Go for it."  
Wash let his face fall back into the threadbare pillow of the cot. He braced himself for a rough ruffle of his head fur, an uncomfortable scrape against the grain. Instead, Caboose rested a large hand gently on his head, tough hooved nails lightly scratching at the base of his ears. The sensation was almost overwhelming at first, but in a good way. He melted into the touch, purring without even realizing it. Caboose, for once, stayed quiet, listening in awe as the battle-hardened, perpetually grumpy soldier melted into the bed, nearly shaking it with the force of his purr. If it had been anyone else in this situation, it would have been the perfect opportunity to take some discreet helmet video for blackmail purposes. The thought never entered Caboose's mind, though, and he fell into a sort of daze of his own, enjoying the texture of Wash's fur (it was indeed very soft) under his hand. Wash's purring slowly quieted and transitioned to a calm, deep breathing.

Of course, this had to be the moment Tucker burst into the room holding a pasta strainer.  
"What's up, fucks?"  
Caboose looked up indignantly. He spoke in the quietest voice available to him, which was more of a hoarse yell than any actual whisper. "Agent Washington is SLEEPING."  
Tucker looked down at the hand on Wash's head. "Dude, he really let you pet him?"  
"Yes! I just had to ask."  
"Damn, if I had known it was that easy I'd have asked a whole bunch of other shit way earlier."  
Wash began to stir a little, and both Caboose and Tucker flinched slightly.  
"Jokes aside, I don't think that guy's slept in days. Maybe if we let him rest it'll do something to dislodge the stick up his ass."  
"Agent Washington does not have anything in his ass, I think."  
Tucker ignored Caboose's lack of understanding the metaphor in favor of holding up the pasta strainer that was still in his hands. "So what am I gonna do with all this spaghetti?"  
He could see the gears turning in Caboose's head, so he made the decision for him.  
"Forget it, I'll just warm it up later. I undercooked it anyway. I am not passing up this glorious moment of an occupied Caboose and a calm Washington at the same time."  
He left to go clean up the dingy base kitchen, but not before snapping a few pictures with his helmet camera. Might come in...handy, later.

**Author's Note:**

> what can I say, I just really like writing caboose being a Friend. and wash getting affection. please touch this man. with permission.


End file.
